Making Memories
by TwoScoopsofPeanutbutter
Summary: One-shot. When Nick's surprise trip for Jess stirs up painful memories, they decide to create some new memories of their own and start to figure out their relationship along the way. A little angst but mostly fluff!


Nick awoke to a shaft of light peeking through a crack in the curtains. Momentarily disoriented, he lifted his head from the pillow and looked around the room, taking in the unfamiliar surroundings, until his eyes fell on the crumpled blue sari hanging over the back of a chair. He felt a smile play across his lips as the events of the previous day came slowly back into focus. The wedding. The badger. The air vent. Cotton Eyed Joe. Calling it. Uncalling it.

After leaving the wedding, they'd driven around for half an hour trying to decide where to go, before the long day they'd just had finally caught up with them and they'd realized they were both too tired for a middle of the night road trip. Besides, they had...other things on their minds. Wanting to avoid Jess's dad, who was still camped out in their loft, they'd checked into a hotel for the night. Alone at last, they'd climbed the stairs to their room, shed their clothes, dove between the sheets and then...

Nick fell back onto the pillow and closed his eyes, remembering the feel of her lips on his lips, the heat of her skin on his skin. He could have lived in that moment forever.

Beside him, he heard Jess stir and with a soft moan, burrow herself more deeply into the nook under his arm. Nick opened his eyes and smiled down at her. He liked the feeling of her soft hair tickling his arm and her warm breath on his chest.

"Mmmm, I just want to stay in bed like this all day," she said sleepily, sliding her leg on top of his.

Nick gave a soft chuckle, trailing a lazy finger up her thigh to her hipbone. "Me too," he said. "Unfortunately, check out time is at 10. They were pretty strict about that last night." Jess lifted her head to look at the clock, which read 9:28, and groaned. Nick knew how she felt. Neither of them were ready to step out of their new relationship bubble and back into the real world. "But I still want to spend the day with you. In fact, I have a great idea for what we can do today."

"Does it involve going back to the loft?" Jess asked.

"Nope."

"Then I'm in. Just give me 10 minutes to shower." She got up and collected her clothes from the floor where she'd flung them the previous night, glad that she'd worn a tank top and shorts under her sari. She headed for the bathroom and flicked on the water, then stuck her head out the door and looked back at Nick. "You know, if we're really pressed for time, maybe you should join me in here," she said, with a sly smile.

Nick stared at her for a moment, wide-eyed, and then leapt out of bed and sprinted across the room. Jess giggled and grabbed his hand, pulling him into the bathroom. Both laughing, they hopped into the shower and let the hot water and steam envelope them.

* * *

Quite a bit more than 10 minutes later, they climbed into Jess's car, both feeling giddy with anticipation. Nick had refused to tell Jess where they were going, wanting it to be a surprise, but that didn't stop her from peppering him with questions from the moment they pulled out of the parking lot. Finally, she got tired of his "I don't know"s and "maybe"s and, closing her eyes and leaning her head against the headrest, started humming along softly to the song on the radio.

Nick looked over at her and smiled. Even in her wrinkled shorts and tank top, with her hair pulled back in a messy ponytail, she looked incredibly beautiful. He reached over and squeezed her knee and she smiled without opening her eyes.

As they approached their destination, Nick instructed Jess to keep her eyes closed, wanting to draw out the suspense as long as possible. When he pulled into a parking spot and turned off the engine, Jess squinted one eye open and turned to him.

"Can I open them now?" she asked.

"No!" Nick yelped, throwing his hand over her eyes. "Just, stay right there. I'll come get you."

He came around to her side of the car and, taking her firmly by the arm, guided her out of the car and down the steps of the parking structure. They walked for several minutes, Nick carefully maneuvering them through the throngs of people that crowded the brick walkway.

"Hmm, I hear lots of people," Jess said. "And music. And smell something salty. Is that popcorn? Did you bring me to a circus, Miller?"

"Shush, woman, no more questions!" he growled. "We're almost there." They continued on in silence for another minute before Nick stopped suddenly and released her arm. "Okay, open 'em!" he said.

Jess opened her eyes. They were standing in the middle of a brick plaza about a hundred feet back from a green rod iron gate. Through the gate, Jess could see a perfectly manicured lawn covered in a giant Mickey Mouse-shaped flowerbed and beyond that, a brick building with a sign hanging from it that read "Disneyland" in big block letters.

"Pretty great surprise, huh?" Nick said. "I've lived in L.A. for 10 years and I've never been to Disneyland. I always wanted to go as a kid, but we never had the money. I thought it would be fun to come here together." He turned to her, grinning. Jess didn't smile back. She stood motionless, staring straight ahead at the sign as if frozen to the spot, her face unreadable. Then, to Nick's horror, her eyes began filling with tears. Nick's eyes widened in alarm. "Jess! What's wrong?"

Jolting back to reality, Jess turned her head and quickly wiped away her tears before turning back to Nick with a pasted-on smile. "Nothing, nothing. I'm fine."

"Jess, you are not fine! You're clearly upset. What's the matter? Talk to me!"

"It's just..." Jess swallowed and bit her lip. "My parents took me here for the weekend once when I was nine. We had the best time – rode the tea cups ten times in a row until we thought we'd puke, ate nothing but ice cream for two days straight, took all these silly pictures with Goofy and Cinderella. It was just the greatest weekend ever." She smiled softly at the memory, then took a deep, shuddering breath. "And then, in the car on the way home, they told me they were getting a divorce. I cried all the way back to Portland. My dad moved out a week later." She wiped at her eyes again. "This is the last place we were ever together as a family."

"Jess, I'm so sorry," Nick said, moving closer to her and putting a hand on her arm. "I didn't know." He shook his head and sighed. "This was a dumb idea."

"No, this was so sweet of you!" Jess said, taking his free hand in hers and giving it a squeeze. "There's no way you could have known."

He moved his hand to her cheek and gently brushed a strand of hair from her face. "Well, let's get out of here. We can stop for breakfast, come up with a new plan. I don't care what we do, as long as I get to spend today with you." Her hand still in his, he started leading her back to the car. Jess didn't move.

"You know what? I think it's time I make some new memories with this place. I think we should stay."

"Are you sure?" Nick asked. She nodded, grinning now, and he felt the excitement from before bubbling up in him again. "Okay, Day, let's do this!"

"I'll race you, Miller!" she said and started sprinting for the entrance. Nick hesitated a moment and then took off after her. By the time they reached the ticket window, they were both out of breath and giggling like little kids.

"Two adults," Nick gasped out, leaning his elbows on the ledge and trying to catch his breath.

The woman behind the window smiled. "That will be $184," she said.

"WHAT?!" screeched Nick, jerking upright. "Are you kidding me? For TWO tickets?"

"Shhh, Nick, calm down," Jess said, placing a soothing hand on his arm. "I'll pay for my ticket." She reached into her purse and started to pull out her wallet.

"No, no, don't be ridiculous," he grumbled, pulling out his own wallet and handing over his credit card. He prayed it wouldn't be declined. "This was my idea so it should be my treat."

She beamed at him. "Thank you," she said and leaning over, gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. He felt the corners of his mouth turning up again. The woman handed Nick the tickets and they made their way through the turnstiles to the park entrance. Once inside, they looked at each other and grinned.

"Where to?" Nick asked. Jess had grabbed one of the glossy park maps on their way in and she opened it now and held it out so they could both look at it.

"Um, the Matterhorn was my favorite the last time. And we've got to do Pirates of the Caribbean! And the Jungle Cruise! Oh, and It's a Small World!" She looked expectantly at Nick and he shrugged.

"Lead the way."

Jess gave him a mischievous smile. "Actually, I know where we need to go first." She took another quick look at the map, then folded it up, grabbed Nick's hand and dragged him over to a bench outside one of the nearby shops. "Wait here," she said and disappeared inside.

Five minutes later, she came out swinging a shopping bag and sidled over to Nick. Reaching inside the bag, she pulled out two hats with round, black ears sticking out of the sides of them. One had a pink sequin bow on it. Nick groaned.

"Jess, what is this?" he asked. Jess put the hat with the bow on her head and then reached up and put the other hat on Nick's head.

"They're Mickey ears," she said. "Every Disneyland first-timer needs a pair of Mickey ears."

"Do I have to wear these all day?" he asked.

"Yes," she said. "We're making new memories for me today, remember?"

Nick sighed and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I remember," he mumbled. She gave him a small pout.

"Don't be grumpy," she said, slipping her hand into his again. He smiled. He was sure the hat made him look like an idiot, but for her, he could look like an idiot for a day.

Making new memories, as it turned out, required strict rules. Jess wanted, as much as possible, to avoid doing any of the things that reminded her of her last visit. That meant no tea cups, no ice cream and no Goofy. And absolutely no Cinderella.

"I thought you'd be really into the whole princess thing," Nick said as they settled on a bench with cups of frozen lemonade. He nudged her with his elbow. "You already look like little birds help you get dressed in the morning."

Jess laughed. "I used to be, but..." She shook her head. "Not anymore. Princesses, fairytales, happily ever afters – it's all a fantasy. It sets up these ridiculous expectations for little girls about what life will be like that will never pan out. The real world just doesn't work like that."

"I don't know about that," Nick said. Jess turned to him, raising her eyebrows questioningly. "You found your Prince Charming, didn't you?" he added with a wink. She rolled her eyes and swatted him lightly on the chest.

"Right," she said. "You think Prince Charming keeps his money and license in a plastic sandwich bag?"

"Actually, I meant Russell," Nick said. He gave a sigh of mock regret and stared out into the distance. "Too bad you let that one slip away."

Jess smiled and looped her arm through his, resting her head on his shoulder.

"That's okay," she said. "I always preferred the stories where the princess realized she'd liked the handsome peasant boy all along."

* * *

"Where to next?" Nick asked, rolling up the sleeves of his white button down and wishing he were wearing something more comfortable than slacks and a dress shirt. They had already crisscrossed the park four or five times and he hoped that whatever she picked next would involve sitting down.

Jess consulted the map again. "Um, how about the Haunted Mansion?" she suggested.

"No, Jess! No, way! I told you, I don't do haunted houses."

"Nick, it's a ride for little kids. I promise you, there's nothing to be scared of."

"I'm not scared! I just don't think it's a good..." They were interrupted by a piercing shriek, followed by the sound of loud sobbing coming from a short distance away. They both turned to see a little girl, of about two or three, wearing a satiny yellow princess dress and bawling at the top of her lungs.

Nick backed away, eyes wide with terror. "Um, maybe we should go get someone," he said, looking desperately around the crowd. When he turned back, Jess was already on the ground, kneeling next to the girl.

"Hi, sweetie, what's your name?" she asked in her most soothing teacher voice. The girl sniffled and looked up at Jess.

"Amy," she said.

"Hi, Amy, I'm Jess. That's such a pretty dress you're wearing! Can you tell me what's wrong?"

"I lost my mommy and d-d-daddy," Amy wailed, dissolving into another sob.

"I know you're scared, but we're going to help you find them, okay? This is my friend Nick." She pointed to Nick, who held up his hand in a small wave and gave her what he hoped was a friendly smile. The girl stared at him, unimpressed, and gave another shuddering sob. Nick shuffled backward a few more steps.

"Do you know your last name, Amy?" Jess asked. The girl shook her head. "How about your mommy's or daddy's name?" She shook her head again. Nick suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. This kid was useless.

"Do you remember what your mommy was wearing?"

Amy thought for a moment. "A dress!" she said finally.

"What color was the dress?"

"Blue!"

"A blue dress. That's very helpful! You're doing a great job, Amy!" Jess said. The girl stopped sniffling and beamed at her. Jess stood, brushing off her knees, and walked over to where Nick was standing. They both scanned the crowd for a woman in a blue dress. "I guess we'll have to take her to one of those information stations," Jess said after a few moments. "Maybe her parents are already..."

"MOMMY!" they heard the girl shriek. They turned around and saw Amy pointing eagerly across the plaza at a woman with frantic eyes who was gripping the handle of an empty stroller and looking in every direction. She was wearing khaki shorts and a pink striped tank top.

"Um, are you sure?" Nick asked. Both girls gave him withering looks.

"Yes!" Amy said.

"I think she knows who her mommy is, Nick," Jess muttered, rolling her eyes.

She walked Amy across the plaza and Nick watched as the woman scooped the little girl into her arms and pressed her against her chest, tears rolling down her cheeks. A man about Nick's age stood beside them, one hand on his wife's back and the other stroking his daughter's hair. Jess and the woman exchanged a few words and the woman hugged her as well. Then Amy pointed back at Nick and all four heads turned in his direction. Feeling self-conscious, he raised his hand in another wave. The woman waved back and gave him a watery smile. After a few more words, Jess waved goodbye and then turned and walked back to where Nick was standing.

"Aw, what a sweet family!" she said. Nick put his arm around her shoulder and placed a kiss on her temple.

"You handled that really well," he said. She shrugged.

"Elementary school teacher," she said, pointing to herself. "It kind of comes with the territory."

"It was more than that, Jess. You were so good with her! I'm really impressed." He pulled away slightly and looked at her appraisingly. "You know, you're kind of amazing."

Jess blushed and looked at the ground, then back over at Amy and her parents, who were now walking off, her mom and dad each holding tightly to one of her hands.

"I'm just glad it had a happy ending," she said.

* * *

By early evening, Jess had dragged Nick on almost every ride in the park and, given how little sleep they'd gotten in the last 72 hours, their energy was beginning to flag. After hearing that the park didn't serve alcohol, Nick was ready to call it a day, but Jess wanted to stay for the fireworks show. Their stomachs starting to growl, they decided on a Cajun-themed restaurant and were ushered into a large dining room designed to look like an outdoor patio at twilight.

It was a surprisingly charming spot, full of twinkling lights, paper lanterns, the sound of chirping crickets and even a meandering river in one corner. If you could ignore the din of whiny children and cranky parent, it might even pass for romantic. Still in their bubble, Jess and Nick barely noticed what was going on around them and spent the rest of the evening talking, laughing and enjoying each other's company.

Afterwards, they walked back to Main Street and found a cozy viewing spot for the show in a quiet nook under a tree. Nick stood behind Jess, wrapping his arms around her waist and resting his chin on the top of her head, and she leaned back into his chest with a contented sigh.

"I can see why you brought me here," she said.

He looked around. "Yeah, everything in this place is sort of pink and glittery. I figured you'd like it."

"I do," she said quietly. "But that's not what I mean. It feels kind of...magical here. Like anything is possible. Like you can believe in things again."

"And what do you believe in?"

She thought for a moment. "Right now? Waking up next to you. Mickey ears. Frozen lemonade. New memories. Happy endings. You. Me. Us." She took one of his hands from her waist and laced her fingers through his. He stroked the back of her hand with his thumb.

"Does this mean you believe in fairy tales again?" he asked.

She tipped her head up and to the side to look him in the eye and smiled. "I think I'm starting to," she said. She tilted her chin and he pressed his lips to hers, a kiss full of tenderness and longing. For the first time in a long time, Nick felt something like hope fill his chest.

In a few minutes, they would leave the park, get into their car and head home. Their bubble would pop, the real world would seep in and they'd have to deal with the messiness that was waiting for them, the unanswered questions and all that had been left unsaid.

But she believed in them and so did he. They would make their own fairytale. And that was enough for now.

**Confession: I'm an East Coast girl and I've never actually been to Disneyland (Disney World is where it's at) but I did a little research, so hopefully I got most of it right.**


End file.
